


Too Many Memories To Hold Onto

by GlossyVoyage



Category: Hades (Video Game 2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Amputee Zagreus, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety Attacks, Anxiety Disorder, Car Accidents, College, Fluff and Angst, High School, M/M, Memories, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating May Change, Slow Burn, Trans Zagreus (Hades Video Game), Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:00:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27983472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GlossyVoyage/pseuds/GlossyVoyage
Summary: Zagreus and Charon were called miracles. The same day, two hours apart, they were both in car crashes and both their lives changed forever. Not all for the bad however, if they hadn’t been roommates in an overworked hospital, their families would never have reconnected. If they hadn’t helped each other through recovery, they might never have left those hospital beds. Time seemed endless in a place like that without someone to talk to, but they had each other. It wasn’t love, it was something stronger that pulled them together, they became family in a sense.
Relationships: Charon/Hermes (Hades Video Game), Thanatos/Zagreus (Hades Video Game)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 48





	Too Many Memories To Hold Onto

**Author's Note:**

> This is a work in progress, cannot promise constant updates due to my schedule.  
> To know more about when updates will happen, follow my Twitter @ArtThornes  
> I hope you enjoy!

Zagreus woke up in a sour mood, he knew exactly what day it was and he wasn’t ready for it at all.

First day back to school after his accident.

He was tempted to fake sickness and stay home but then he’d just be delaying the inevitable. So he pulled himself to the side of the bed and grabbed his prosthesis. One was on his upper right leg and the other on his lower left leg. All things considered, he got lucky in the accident. Or at least that's what he was told.

He tossed off his sleeping shirt and tried to avoid looking in the mirror in the corner as he went to grab a binder and fresh clothes. Good binding told him not to wear it more than 12 hours, never when sleeping or exercising and to not wear it everyday. As much as Zagreus hated those restrictions, he didn’t want to mess up his ribcage by binding too long. So he stuck to the rules.

He threw on a band t-shirt that Charon had let him keep. Though Zagreus had never seen them live like Charon, he still enjoyed Trivium’s music. After he slipped on some pants and grabbed a red sweatshirt he opened his door and went towards the kitchen. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes he walked past his dad, “Hey Dad…” He said quietly.

Hades had changed a lot since the accident, before he and Zagreus never saw eye to eye. Now he was working under a less stressful job that allowed him time with his son who he kept an open mind for. He’d never say it but Zag knew he felt responsible for what happened. Why else would he switch jobs, change his attitude and start reconnecting with Zag’s mother?

“Zagreus, good to see you up. Want anything special for breakfast?” He said before idly sipped his black coffee.

“Nah, I kind of just want cereal. When’s my ride get here?” He mumbled, searching through the pantry for his box of Choco-Sugar Crunch. He eventually found it behind the bag of coffee grounds and set it on the counter.

Hades watched his son prepare the mediocre breakfast, “I thought you planned to ride with your friends?”

Zag sighed, remembering cancelling the ride with the Argyris twins the night before. He was feeling extra anxious about standing out and riding in with a straight A student and a stoner was bound to get him looks, “Change of plans with that. Rather just arrive on a bus.”

“Oh, alright, well the bus gets to the stop in about a half hour…” Hades sipped his coffee, “Your mother wants to talk to you after school.”

Persephone. His mother. She’d left when he was a baby because he was given a grim prognosis. She said she couldn’t stand by and watch her baby die. Despite it, Zagreus had lived and now his mother was ready to come back to his life. It was awkward for both of them but at least she was trying.

“Right, I’ll let her know when I’m done with school. Thanks Dad.” He began to munch on his cereal, hoping conversation would cease.

And it did, until the door rang.

Hades stood up and looked through the window before turning to smile at Zagreus, “Oh you almost had me!” He chuckled and Zag raised a brow, still shoveling food in his mouth.

When his father opened the door, two familiar figures stepped in. One dressed like he was going to a sleepover and the other like he was going to a serious job interview. Hypnos and Thanatos Argyris…

He sighed and put down his spoon, “I thought I told you I was taking the bus.”

Hypnos yawned, “Yeah, you did. But Than refuses to do two things, let me sleep in or let plans get cancelled.” He stretched his arms out and walked over to the sofa in the living room adjacent to the kitchen.

Thanatos meanwhile gave Hades a firm handshake before taking a seat at the table with Zagreus, “I’m not going to leave you to take the bus on your own. Besides, taking my car will get us there faster so you’ll have a chance to meet your teachers.”

Zag rolled his eyes, Than acted so prim and proper but Zag knew underneath he was an idiotic teen like the rest of them. The night of Megaera’s 16th birthday proved that when he drank too much beer and kissed someone before vomiting all over their new shirt.

That someone had been Zagreus. He ended up having to throw away the shirt.

Sighing, Zag looked over Thanatos, “You’re seriously not going to let me take the bus? Is this your idea of an apology?”

Hypnos snorted from the sofa and Than glared in his twin’s direction before turning back to Zag, “Apology? No. Act of friendship? Yes.”

Friendship, is that what he was calling his relationship with Zag now? Sure they weren’t officially a couple, but it wasn’t like Zag had a chance to date anyone and Than was most certainly focused more on his grades and Zagreus to even think about dating someone. In a way they were stupidly perfect for each other, but Zag didn’t want to distract Than from his studies. He was aiming high to be a surgeon and the last thing he needed was the complication of Zagreus.

“Fine, I’ll ride with you two, but I’m taking the bus the rest of the time.” Zagreus sighed and picked up his soggy cereal and poured it down the sink.

~~~

Zag insisted that Than and Hypnos let him out before they reached the parking lot, he could walk the rest of the way and most importantly, not be seen with them by the whole school. He wasn’t embarrassed by them or anything, it was just… He’d be lumped into one of their social groups, he’d either be having the high expectations placed on him or be considered someone lucky if they didn’t drop out.

Zagreus just preferred his classmates and teachers not assume anything of him yet. Better yet, assume he’s broken, then maybe they’d go easy on him with judgements.

He watched as the twins pulled into student parking, several groups of students moving in their direction as they got out of Than’s car.

He examined his school schedule and went to find room 113 on the first floor, according to his map of the grounds, it was in the arts section. Zagreus hadn’t gotten to choose his classes since he was a late entry, so he was stuck with what they had room for. Apparently that meant many people weren’t interested in graphic design.

The doors were wide open for most of the classes in this area so he had to walk up to the plaques and read which room it was.

Eventually he found the graphic design class, some students were already inside, nobody he recognized though. Up on the white board was a seating chart and he quickly found an unused seat, hoping that the teacher wouldn’t mind.

Seats filled over time and eventually an older gentleman with a weird tie walked in and clapped his hands, Zagreus cringed at the sudden noise. It was too close to the sounds of slammed doors or a fist hitting the table. 

It got worse.

The entire class clapped back and Zag felt his heart drop. Anxiety coated him, suddenly everything moved way too fast for him, everything was a decibel too loud, he wanted to crawl under the table and hide until it was over.

The teacher clapped twice, the class clapped twice back and Zagreus found himself rushing out the door towards the bathroom. His teacher barely got a word in before he was gone.

Keeping his gaze to the ground he kept walking until he slipped in the men’s restroom. He retched up his breakfast almost immediately and curled up in a ball after he flushed it away.

The door opened and he heard a group of boys come in, “Did you hear what happened in Mr. Tate’s class?”

Another boy responded, “Yeah, some weird new kid left the class before they even did attendance.” The boys started snickering.

Zagreus felt tears prick in his eyes, if it weren’t for the anxiety, he would have barged out and punched one of those kids. What the hell made it okay to talk about someone they knew nothing about?

The men’s restroom door swung open again, a familiar voice calling out, “Hey, do you have hallpasses?”

Fuck, it was Thanatos. Of course he was a hall monitor…

The boys seemed to scatter out the door behind Than after the threat of detention. Than sighed and said softly, “Zag? You in here?”

Zagreus wanted to stay silent, make Than go check somewhere else, just leave him alone. He sniffled slightly and Than sighed.

“Let’s go to the nurses’ office, okay?” Than whispered just loud enough for Zag to hear.

But Zagreus didn’t feel in control, his emotions were, so they answered instead, “So I can be told to toughen up? Told maybe to stop acting like a boy? Better yet, told to get a therapist they know I can’t afford?”

Thanatos sighed, “If you don’t go to the nurses’ office, I have to tell the principal that you tried to ditch class. I don’t think that’s why you left… Am I right?” His voice sounded closer, he heard a stall door open as he spoke.

Zagreus took a deep breath, exhaling slowly and repeating the process a few times before he felt more in control, “It was the clapping… It set me off. Too much noise.”

Voice creeping over from the other stall, Than’s frown was obvious despite Zag not being able to see him, “I know you haven’t had the best run with therapists but this… Needs to be addressed. You know my mom will take you on a discount, therapist you know and not digging into your family’s wallet too much.”

Zag stood up with a sigh, opening his stall, hearing Than do the same beside him. Their eyes met and he knew Than had seen he’d been on the verge of tears.

“Can I hug you, Zag?”

He sighed, “Let me wash my hands and wipe my face first, I threw up my cereal…”

The hug was nice, probably would have been better if Zagreus wasn’t coming off of a high point of anxiety. He swears that Than kissed the top of his head but he didn’t entertain the idea in his head for long. 

Friends, they were friends. Didn’t matter what happened at Meg’s birthday, didn’t matter that Than would curl up with him in the hospital bed, didn’t matter that everything hurt at the idea of friendship with Thanatos. 

Friends wasn’t what Zag wanted.

~~~

Charon wasn’t sure what to think of college yet. He knew it would be different than high school but the difference was grossly misinterpreted by him and his fellow students. Sure, there were the stereotypes of party goers and students cramming for their midterms. And yet it seemed the majority of everyone fell into the group of not knowing what to do. Sure, they had goals, some even had their careers picked out but no one was quite sure if those would change. It was strange to be surrounded by so much uncertainty, it made Charon nervous, reminding him too much of when he was in the hospital with Zagreus.

Despite how bad his accident looked, he and his mother escaped fairly well off. Only problem was Charon’s voice would never be the same, his vocal cords had been so damaged he could barely speak above a whisper. Sign language was now his main form of communication which brought both good and bad. Good news was he could easily communicate again, bad news was not too many people understood the language, requiring him to need an interpreter for classes.

He’d spoken to the young man over video calls, apparently he was going to college as well and was willing to share classes with Charon to be an interpreter. They had signed back and forth about when and where they would meet up before class. Outside the front steps of the main campus at 7 am.

Charon checked his wristwatch, it was 6:47 and no sign of his interpreter yet. He tried his best to look casual as he waited but his choice of outfit probably didn’t help. Large brimmed black hat decorated with golden baubles, dark purple dress shoes, long and flowing black pants, big black trenchcoat, random band t-shirt and his round purple shades. Compared to the comfort dressed students walking by, he probably looked like a merchant in a video game.

One kid was pushing through the crowd of students filing in, “Excuse me! Pardon me! Sorry! Gotta get by!” When he finally got through Charon recognized him as Hermes, his interpreter.

“So sorry about that friend, swear I’m never late but got caught up talking with-Ah, not important, let’s get you to class!” 

Charon looked at his watch again and noted the time, 6:54, Hermes wasn’t late and they had no need to rush to get to class. It didn’t even start until 7:15. 

He took a moment to look at Hermes, short but obviously athletically inclined. He wore bright orange and yellow running shoes, a pair of white shorts and a zipped up orange jacket. Such a contrast to Charon’s dark style.

Hermes stood there hopping from what foot to the other until Charon stood up. Their height difference was laughably huge, Charon stood at 6’5” and it looked like Hermes had to be at least 5’5” if not shorter. They made their way to the classroom with enough time to sit down and sign to one another while they waited for the instructor.

Favorite foods were shared along with what brought them to college, what they did over summer and just simple small talk about the weather and such.

When the instructor walked in, Charon walked up to her with Hermes. What he signed, Hermes said aloud, “I am Charon Argyris, new to college and I primarily communicate through sign language. If you need a copy of my special needs paperwork, I have several. It is nice to meet you.”

Hermes smiled up at Charon after they took their seats again, “I hope I did alright, been a little bit since I’ve had practice. Used to translate for my half sister until she moved away.” He tapped his thumbs together in what Charon guessed was a nervous habit.

Instead of going into a full conversation with his hands, Charon simply put one hand on Hermes’ shoulder and gave a thumbs up with the other.

~~~

After two classes, it was time for Charon’s break before his third. It was too early to be lunch, so he asked Hermes to escort him around campus. The swift little man wasted no time giving every little detail about the campus and some of the buildings surrounding it, including a game store and a pizzeria.

No more than 30 minutes had passed on their tour before it was done, and Charon still had to wait a little over an hour for his math class. He thought about catching a bus and heading home for a little bit but didn’t want to chance being late to his last class of the day. 

“Hey, your schedule says we have a while before math, mind if we head over to the gym/theatre? I usually help my half brother out with his class when I’m free about now.” Hermes suggested.

Charon raised a brow, not realizing that Hermes had siblings that worked at the campus. He nodded however and they strode across the block to the building. As soon as they entered through the side, Charon and Hermes found themselves in line with a bunch of women, most wearing some sort of exercise gear.

Hermes smiled and waved at a few of the ladies he recognized, “Sorry, I didn’t realize I’d get to help out in class again. Well, as long as my friend here is okay with it.” He gestured to Charon who gave a weak wave.

One of the girls, a brunette with bright blue eyes perked up, “You here for Zumba? We get so few guys in the class, it’s usually only Di and Hermes!”

Zumba… Zumba was that exercise dance right? Charon was most certainly not prepared for that in his current clothing. Charon raised his hands to sign before realizing that he probably needed Hermes to interpret. 

He had expected Hermes to wander off to talk to the girls or find his half brother but no, he was right by Charon’s side, watching his hands. It was comforting to know that he was there.

Charon began to speak through Hermes, “My name is Charon, I’m just here to sit in. I speak using sign language but I can hear fine so feel free to talk to me.”

The brunette smiled and signed back a simple, “Hello.” before speaking, “Sorry if that was tough to read, I’m taking ASL right before this and we just went over the basics. Nice to meet you Charon.”

The rest of the women smiled and nodded, greeting him as well. One older lady even said he should try the class next time. They all seemed fairly nice, down to earth and understanding of Charon’s lack of speech. He felt like a part of their community almost immediately, his stress he’d been holding onto melted away. 

And this was a side of Hermes he wasn’t expecting from the little he knew. From listening, apparently Hermes instructed the variant of Zumba that was easier for those who weren’t as flexible or had prior injuries to their feet or legs. They’d all dance to the same song, Hermes would just change up moves so they weren’t as harsh for some of the group. Despite knowing quite a few of the women, Hermes didn’t seem like a flirt. He kept things very casual and friendly, even brushed a girl off gently when she asked him if he had a girlfriend.

Eventually, the man named “Di” showed up. He was dressed in particularly tight leggings and a shirt that exposed more than was necessary. He immediately wrapped Hermes in a hug, “Hey little bro! Thought you couldn’t make it this term!”

Hermes laughed and wiggled his way out of the hug, “Ah, had some free time today and asked my friend if we could stop by.” He waved over at Charon to which Di followed.

“He got a change of clothes? He’s not going to want to dance in that, though I suppose he can sit out the first dance of the class, we’ve done it before with people who don’t know what Zumba entails.” The darker skinned man looked thoughtful.

Hermes rolled his eyes, “Dionysus, he’s not in the class, he’s just here to observe since his next class isn’t for a while.” He walked over to stand next to Charon, “Charon, this is my brother Dionysus. Di, meet Charon.”

Charon waved at Dionysus who sighed, “Hermes, I can let him stay for the first class but you know if people don’t participate, I can’t have them in the class. I have no problem with you helping out, in fact I kind of need it this term but next class, if Charon isn’t dancing with us, he’s got to wait outside.”

Hermes blushed in embarrassment, “Of course that slipped my mind… Sorry bro! Me and Charon will talk about it after Zumba!” He gave an apologetic smile to Charon who in turn rubbed the back of his neck.

Dancing? He either needed to dance or be without an interpreter for an hour every Monday. And while the class seemed super nice, that didn’t automatically mean Charon was fine with dancing in front of them. He barely knew how to dance, downright had two left feet…

Either way, he could think about it while they were in the dance studio.

The first class of Zumba was mainly teaching expectations, stretching exercises and measuring their current ability. They didn’t actually dance until near the end of the hour.

It was pretty awesome watching eighteen different people move to a beat. Most of the class followed Dionysus’ moves and the rest followed Hermes’ variants of the moves. All in all, Charon was impressed.

Dionysus smiled as the song came to an end, walking towards the stereo system and calling out, “Alright, everyone give yourselves a pat on the back! You’ve made it through the first day, I hope to see you all on Thursday!” 

Hermes came over to sit next to Charon, “Hey, no pressure if you don’t want to do this. Di can find another variant teacher. He makes it sound like I’m the only one he’s got, but I’m really not.”

Charon was quiet for a moment before signing to Hermes.

Hermes immediately smiled brighter than the sun, “You won’t regret this, and don’t worry you can always follow me if Di gets too complicated!” He hopped up from his seat and sped towards Dionysus, “Charon’s in, bro!”

Charon wasn’t about to admit this to Hermes, but he was enjoying the time with him after a single day… Perhaps a little more than he should. Besides, it couldn’t hurt to get his physical education points early on.

**Author's Note:**

> So couple things I want to make clear.  
> I do not know sign language and did not pretend to, I tried to make it simple without going into something I don't know.  
> I am a trans guy and have anxiety so Zagreus is partially based off of me.  
> I used Greek surnames for the cast instead of them just going by first names only.  
> I plan to try and equal out the points of view in the future, I know Zagreus' was longer than Charon's.
> 
> Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated!


End file.
